Aalriya takes over Alphabet's Loon project. Tightbeam and Spacetime are two of the company's main focuses. According to CNBC, Alphabet owns a minority stake in it, but it will no longer be a direct subsidiary of Google's shell company.
Google Loon Launch Event
Aalriya's Tightbeam and Spacetime
Tightbeam is a laser communications system that uses light beams to transmit data between base stations and endpoints, similar to a fiber optic cable. However, because it is done over the air rather than through a physical connection, this system is more flexible, especially over long distances.
According to the company, it is 100-1000x more powerful than any service currently available. Take note that this is accomplished using laser beam technology.
On the other hand, Spacetime is a cloud-based software designed to manage constantly changing connections. Its original purpose was to predict how Loon's balloons would move. It also helps to keep the connections strong.
It predicts when a Tightbeam station, which can be ground-based or satellite-based, will have to hand off its connection to a moving object, such as a plane or a boat. Bloomberg notes that Tightbeam tests have included ground stations sending signals to planes, and the company's website claims that something similar could be done for sending signals to satellites.
Aalriya Collaboration with SpaceX
Air disruptions occur, but Aalyria claims to have found a solution. It entails accounting for how rain or dust might distort or scatter the light used to transmit the data. This is critical when sending light through the air rather than the protected glass strands that make up fiber optic cable.
The company appears to be thinking about SpaceX. CNBC reports that the company hopes to use its laser communications technology to provide services for ships, planes, cellular connectivity, and satellite communications.
On the other hand, by using more radio waves, Starlink is beginning to provide Wi-Fi for some airlines and cruise ships, as well as RVs and home internet customers. SpaceX is also beaming data down from orbit.
According to The Verge, Aalriya competes heavily with satellite companies such as Globalstar, SpaceX, T-Mobile, AST SpaceMobile, and Lynk Global. It also competes with Amazon, which deals with Verizon to provide backhaul services for remote cell towers. The collaboration will use the Project Kuiper satellites.
The concept is intriguing enough to entice some investors, who will hopefully also intrigue the US Department of Defense. According to Aalyria CEO Chris Taylor, whether you're an evil supervillain trying to spruce up your lair or a company trying to connect everything that exists today with everything that exists tomorrow, lasers are still very effective at capturing the imagination.
Project Taara
Project Taara, which uses lasers to provide internet service in Africa, was originally intended to connect the balloons. It used Free Space Optical Communications links from lasers to supplement traditional fiber runs. They could, however, theoretically be used in places where cable runs would be impractical or difficult, such as crossing a canyon or gorge.
According to the Taara team, the system was relatively resistant to obstacles such as haze, light rain, and birds. They admit that Africa's climate was more ideal than San Francisco's.
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